IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecmode/v152y2025ics026499932500238x.html

Does economic policy uncertainty impact global value chain participation of Indian firms? The role of financial constraints

Author

Listed:
  • Reddy, Ketan
  • Sasidharan, Subash
  • Thangavelu, Shandre Mugan

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on global value chain (GVC) participation of Indian manufacturing firms. Using firm-level panel data from India spanning 2004–2021, we estimate a probit model and address endogeneity concerns using an instrumental variable approach. Our analysis reveals that higher economic policy uncertainty leads to a decline in firms' GVC participation. The adverse effects of EPU translate via the financial constraints channel with high-leverage and low-liquidity firms experiencing a greater impact of EPU on their GVC integration. Moreover, we find that firms with access to trade credit can mitigate the adverse impact of EPU. In addition, using survival analysis, we also demonstrate that higher EPU is associated with greater exit rates among GVC firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Reddy, Ketan & Sasidharan, Subash & Thangavelu, Shandre Mugan, 2025. "Does economic policy uncertainty impact global value chain participation of Indian firms? The role of financial constraints," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:152:y:2025:i:c:s026499932500238x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107243
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026499932500238X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107243?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sha, Yezhou & Kang, Chenlei & Wang, Zilong, 2020. "Economic policy uncertainty and mergers and acquisitions: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 590-600.
    2. Dibiasi, Andreas & Abberger, Klaus & Siegenthaler, Michael & Sturm, Jan-Egbert, 2018. "The effects of policy uncertainty on investment: Evidence from the unexpected acceptance of a far-reaching referendum in Switzerland," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 38-67.
    3. Kalina Manova, 2014. "Firms and Credit Constraints along the Global Value Chain: Processing Trade in China," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 15(03), pages 08-11, August.
    4. Ketan Reddy & Subash Sasidharan, 2021. "Financial constraints and global value chain participation: Firm-level evidence from India," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(5), pages 739-765, July.
    5. Constant L. Yayi, 2024. "Economic policy uncertainty and trade: does export sophistication matter?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(2), pages 169-185, January.
    6. Silviano Esteve-Pérez & Juan A. Máñez-Castillejo & María E. Rochina-Barrachina & Juan A. Sanchis-Llopis, 2007. "A Survival Analysis of Manufacturing Firms in Export Markets," Chapters, in: Jopep M. Arauzo-Carod & Miguel C. Manjón-Antolín (ed.), Entrepreneurship, Industrial Location and Economic Growth, chapter 16, pages 313-332, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Petersen, Mitchell A & Rajan, Raghuram G, 1997. "Trade Credit: Theories and Evidence," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 10(3), pages 661-691.
    8. Alessandri, Piergiorgio & Mumtaz, Haroon, 2019. "Financial regimes and uncertainty shocks," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 31-46.
    9. Xiaosong Wang & Huan Wu & Le Li & Lu Liu, 2022. "Uncertainty, GVC participation and the export of Chinese firms," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 634-661, July.
    10. Joshy Easaw & Christian Grimme, 2024. "The relationship between aggregate uncertainty and firm-level uncertainty," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 76(4), pages 1108-1127.
    11. Raoul Minetti & Pierluigi Murro & Zeno Rotondi & Susan Chun Zhu, 2019. "Financial Constraints, Firms’ Supply Chains, and Internationalization," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 17(2), pages 327-375.
    12. Stiebale, Joel & Vencappa, Dev, 2018. "Acquisitions, markups, efficiency, and product quality: Evidence from India," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 70-87.
    13. Ma, Huanyu & Hao, Dapeng, 2022. "Economic policy uncertainty, financial development, and financial constraints: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 368-386.
    14. Daniel A. Ackerberg & Kevin Caves & Garth Frazer, 2015. "Identification Properties of Recent Production Function Estimators," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83, pages 2411-2451, November.
    15. Volpe Martincus, Christian & Carballo, Jerónimo, 2008. "Is export promotion effective in developing countries? Firm-level evidence on the intensive and the extensive margins of exports," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 89-106, September.
    16. Scott R. Baker & Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis, 2016. "Measuring Economic Policy Uncertainty," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 131(4), pages 1593-1636.
    17. Dinkneh Gebre Borojo & Jiang Yushi & Miao Miao, 2022. "The Impacts of Economic Policy Uncertainty on Trade Flow," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(8), pages 2258-2272, June.
    18. Ketan Reddy & Subash Sasidharan & Shandre Thangavelu, 2023. "Does servicification of manufacturing increase the GVC activities of firms? Case of India," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 153-181, January.
    19. Tibor Besedeš & Thomas J. Prusa, 2006. "Ins, outs, and the duration of trade," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(1), pages 266-295, February.
    20. Meihong Dai & Haiyang Liu & Lingtao Lin, 2020. "How innovation impacts firms' export survival: Does export mode matter?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 81-113, January.
    21. Wang, Yizhong & Chen, Carl R. & Huang, Ying Sophie, 2014. "Economic policy uncertainty and corporate investment: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 227-243.
    22. Rawan Elshaarawy & Riham A. Ezzat, 2023. "Global value chains, financial constraints, and innovation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 223-257, June.
    23. Yaqiong Cui & Bin Liu, 2018. "Manufacturing servitisation and duration of exports in China," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(6), pages 1695-1721, June.
    24. José Manuel Mansilla-Fernández & Juliette Milgram-Baleix, 2023. "Working capital management, financial constraints and exports: evidence from European and US manufacturers," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1769-1810, April.
    25. Yaozhi Xu & Jiakang Fan & Ying Hua, 2025. "The Impact of Trade Credit on Global Value Chain Position: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Firms," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(3), pages 579-594, February.
    26. Bruce C. Greenwald & Joseph E. Stiglitz, 1990. "Macroeconomic Models with Equity and Credit Rationing," NBER Chapters, in: Asymmetric Information, Corporate Finance, and Investment, pages 15-42, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    27. Thang, Doan Ngoc & Ha, Le Thanh, 2022. "Trade credit and global value chain: Evidence from cross-country firm-level data," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 110-129.
    28. Jiaxuan Zhang & Hongsheng Zhang & Xuhang Shen & Bo Meng, 2024. "How Does Economic Policy Uncertainty Impact a Country's Position in Global Value Chains?," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 32(5), pages 28-52, September.
    29. Kumar, Abhishek & Mallick, Sushanta & Sinha, Apra, 2021. "Is uncertainty the same everywhere? Advanced versus emerging economies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    30. Marion Dovis & Chahir Zaki, 2020. "Global Value Chains and Local Business Environments: Which Factors Really Matter in Developing Countries?," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 57(2), pages 481-513, September.
    31. Im, Hyun Joong & Park, Heungju & Zhao, Gege, 2017. "Uncertainty and the value of cash holdings," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 43-48.
    32. Lewis Makosa & Sun Jie & Wellington Garikai Bonga & Moses Jachi & Lovemore Sitsha, 2021. "Does economic policy uncertainty aggravate financial constraints?," South African Journal of Accounting Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(2), pages 151-166, May.
    33. Liu, Jinjing & Wang, Hong, 2022. "Economic policy uncertainty and the cost of capital," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    34. Marina Ehab & Chahir R. Zaki, 2021. "Global value chains and service liberalization: do they matter for skill-upgrading?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(12), pages 1342-1360, March.
    35. Hirsch, Julia & Walz, Uwe, 2017. "Financial constraints, newly founded firms and the financial crisis," SAFE Working Paper Series 191, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    36. Cristina Constantinescu & Aaditya Mattoo & Michele Ruta, 2020. "Policy Uncertainty, Trade and Global Value Chains: Some Facts, Many Questions," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 57(2), pages 285-308, September.
    37. Lu, Yue & Shi, Huimin & Luo, Wei & Liu, Bin, 2018. "Productivity, financial constraints, and firms' global value chain participation: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 184-194.
    38. Marc J. Melitz, 2003. "The Impact of Trade on Intra-Industry Reallocations and Aggregate Industry Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(6), pages 1695-1725, November.
    39. Crowley, Meredith & Meng, Ning & Song, Huasheng, 2018. "Tariff scares: Trade policy uncertainty and foreign market entry by Chinese firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 96-115.
    40. Hummels, David & Ishii, Jun & Yi, Kei-Mu, 2001. "The nature and growth of vertical specialization in world trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 75-96, June.
    41. Charles J. Hadlock & Joshua R. Pierce, 2010. "New Evidence on Measuring Financial Constraints: Moving Beyond the KZ Index," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(5), pages 1909-1940.
    42. Ngoc Thang Doan & Huong Giang Mai, 2025. "Trade credit and global value chains," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 1-32, May.
    43. Bohan Zhang & Jianfu Ma & Muhammad Asghar Khan & Valentina Repnikova & Kseniia Shidlovskaya & Sergey Barykin & Muhammad Salman Ahmad, 2023. "The Effect of Economic Policy Uncertainty on Foreign Direct Investment in the Era of Global Value Chain: Evidence from the Asian Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-21, April.
    44. Ben S. Bernanke, 1983. "Irreversibility, Uncertainty, and Cyclical Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 98(1), pages 85-106.
    45. Davide Rigo, 2021. "Global value chains and technology transfer: new evidence from developing countries," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 157(2), pages 271-294, May.
    46. Gopalan, Sasidaran & Reddy, Ketan & Sasidharan, Subash, 2022. "Does digitalization spur global value chain participation? Firm-level evidence from emerging markets," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    47. Tang, Ying & Moro, Andrea, 2020. "Trade credit in China: Exploring the link between short term debt and payables," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    48. Wolfgang Hess & Maria Persson, 2012. "The duration of trade revisited," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 1083-1107, December.
    49. Tim Kovalenko, 2024. "Uncertainty shocks and employment fluctuations in Germany: the role of establishment size," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 76(2), pages 451-468.
    50. Ketan Reddy & Subash Sasidharan, 2022. "Servicification and global value chain survival: Firm‐level evidence from India," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 455-473, September.
    51. Xiaofei Du & Weixin Luan & Yuduo Lu, 2022. "Impact of economic policy uncertainty and financial constraints on firms’ markups: evidence from China," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 30-34, January.
    52. Reddy, Ketan & Sasidharan, Subash, 2023. "Innovative efforts and export market survival: Evidence from an emerging economy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    53. Nicholas Bloom, 2009. "The Impact of Uncertainty Shocks," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 77(3), pages 623-685, May.
    54. Caroline Jardet & Cristina Jude & Menzie Chinn, 2023. "Foreign direct investment under uncertainty evidence from a large panel of countries," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 854-885, August.
    55. Pui Sun Tam, 2018. "Global trade flows and economic policy uncertainty," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(34-35), pages 3718-3734, July.
    56. Cristina Arellano & Yan Bai & Patrick J. Kehoe, 2019. "Financial Frictions and Fluctuations in Volatility," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 127(5), pages 2049-2103.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ketan REDDY & Subash SASIDHARAN & Shandre Mugan THANGAVELU, 2024. "Does Economic Policy Uncertainty Impact Firm GVC Participation? Microdata Evidence from India," Working Papers DP-2024-23, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    2. Reddy, Ketan & Sasidharan, Subash, 2024. "Global value chains, productivity and markup: Evidence from India," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PB), pages 250-271.
    3. Ketan Reddy & Subash Sasidharan, 2022. "Servicification and global value chain survival: Firm‐level evidence from India," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 455-473, September.
    4. Huang, Chenghao & Luo, Chenyu & Kuang, Xuewen, 2025. "Share repurchases under economic policy uncertainty: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    5. Ketan Reddy & Subash Sasidharan & Shandre Thangavelu, 2023. "Does servicification of manufacturing increase the GVC activities of firms? Case of India," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 153-181, January.
    6. Jun, Xiao & Huang, Wenwei & Guo, Yiting & Cao, Yuqiang & Lu, Meiting, 2023. "Why does economic policy uncertainty increase firm-level pollutant emission?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    7. Niu, Tong & Yu, Qiuliang, 2025. "The contagion of uncertainty perceptions in value chains: Firm evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    8. Liu, Guanchun & Zhang, Chengsi, 2020. "Economic policy uncertainty and firms' investment and financing decisions in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    9. Liu, Yuanyuan & Li, Jing & Liu, Guanchun & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2021. "Economic policy uncertainty and firm’s cash holding in China: The key role of asset reversibility," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    10. Li, Conggang & Liu, Yijun & Xu, Rong & Xu, Xingmei, 2025. "Insuring legitimacy: The role of uncertainty perceptions in shaping corporate insurance demand," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    11. Liu, Ding & Sun, Weihong & Xu, Liao & Zhang, Xuan, 2023. "Time-frequency relationship between economic policy uncertainty and financial cycle in China: Evidence from wavelet analysis," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    12. Karaki, Mohamad B. & Rangaraju, Sandeep Kumar, 2023. "The confidence channel of U.S. financial uncertainty: Evidence from industry-level data," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    13. He, Ye & Chen, Jilong & Fan, Shuxin & Zhang, Xiao, 2025. "Foreign market uncertainty and corporate investment: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    14. Dai, Yixin & Wang, Yixiao & Li, Rongrong, 2024. "Overcoming the “diversification trap”:firm investment decisions and innovation under policy uncertainty," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 492-504.
    15. Al-Thaqeb, Saud Asaad & Algharabali, Barrak Ghanim, 2019. "Economic policy uncertainty: A literature review," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    16. Saud Asaad Al‐Thaqeb & Barrak Ghanim Algharabali & Khaled Tareq Alabdulghafour, 2022. "The pandemic and economic policy uncertainty," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(3), pages 2784-2794, July.
    17. Chang, Chong-Chuo & Chen, Hsien-Yi & Mon, Khin Thiri, 2024. "Impact of economic policy uncertainty on the firm's working capital requirements," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    18. Nicholas Bloom & Philip Bunn & Scarlet Chen & Paul Mizen & Pawel Smietanka & Gregory Thwaites, 2019. "The impact of Brexit on UK firms," Bank of England working papers 818, Bank of England.
    19. Gopalan, Sasidaran & Reddy, Ketan & Sasidharan, Subash, 2022. "Does digitalization spur global value chain participation? Firm-level evidence from emerging markets," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    20. Buu Kiem Dang & Duc Toan Vo & Nguyen Tuyet Minh Ha, 2025. "The impact of economic uncertainty and institutional quality on bank profitability: global evidence," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1-29, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:152:y:2025:i:c:s026499932500238x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30411 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.